Eddie MacDonald came close to winning the Granite Sate 100 at NHMS

[caption id="attachment_547" align="alignnone" width="207"] Eddie MacDonald came close to winning the Granite State 100 at NHMS in Loudon,NH. (Credit: NASCAR Home Tracks photo)[/caption]

By Lou Modestino

Eddie MacDonald almost won his fourth career K&N Pro Series East race in the Granite State 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Friday night securing second place in a spectacular last lap duel that had the fans on their feet. The 100 lap event had three and four wide racing in turn one on the “Magic Mile” that most would agree is nearly impossible to achieve.

“That was a crazy race over the second half of the race right to the last lap,” said the Rowley, Mass. veteran. “I think the fans saw an exciting race with the winner not decided until the last turn of the last lap. On the last restart my spotter Logger (Dave Ricker) said I was on the bottom of four wide going into turn one and they were three wide behind us. The incredible thing is, no one wrecked. We are very happy with the second place finish since it looked like we were headed for a fourth place finish.”

The Exit Realty/Grimm Construction Chevy qualified ninth on Thursday afternoon with Eddie Mac saying, “We were happy starting ninth because we just finished rebuilding the car with the finishing touches completed on Wednesday night. Last Thursday the bare chassis sat on the shop floor so everyone worked very hard to get the car done on time and I am very thankful for everyone’s fantastic effort. We also had Exit Realty come aboard for this race and I thank Derek Beatrice for helping us out. A lot of Exit Realty folks were there to support us and I think they all left happy.”

When the green flag waved Eddie Mac was able to maintain his position but soon developed a tight condition after lap ten saying, “The car was really good at first but then it got real tight and just shoved the nose when I got back on the throttle. I knew we had to made it to the halfway break for adjustments so I tried not to lose too many spots.” The #71 slipped back to 13th position by lap 25 then rode in the 11th position when the flag flew for the break on lap 50. Crew chief Rollie LaChance and the crew went to work making adjustments that allowed Eddie Mac to steadily move through the field and into fourth place for the thrilling final laps.

“Rollie and the guys made the car better for the second half run,” said MacDonald. “It was still tight but better than it was but I needed to stay on the bottom. I had a couple of restarts on the outside and lost some positions but I was able to restart seventh on the inside on lap 89 when things really got crazy.”

Three wide at NHMS is usually not a good idea but four wide surely spells disaster. With the crowd on its feet, both the four wide and the three wide pack made it through turn one with Eddie Mac saying, “I was glad to be on the bottom of that mess and I am still amazed we all made it through. That is the way this series is. Everyone runs hard every lap and no one wants to give anything. It is a dog fight right to the checkered flag.”

A red flag with five laps to go reset the field with Eddie Mac in fourth place poised for a battle with eventual winner Jesse Little for third place while Brandon Jones and Nick Drake fought for the win. With two to go, Eddie Mac made a run under Little in turn one but could not complete the pass saying, “The car was real tight and I knew I would slide up into him if I didn’t back off. We had a great battle but then going into turn three we both saw the leaders tangle and crash into the wall just ahead of us. I tried to get to the outside but just couldn’t get there. It was a great race, a lot of fun, and a great second place finish. Rob Grimm was there with his family so I am really happy for them. He and Carla and the rest of Grimm Nation have done so much for us. We will be heading back to Iowa for our next K&N race in a few weeks but we will enjoy this one for now.”

[caption id="attachment_547" align="alignnone" width="207"] Eddie MacDonald came close to winning the Granite State 100 at NHMS in Loudon,NH. (Credit: NASCAR Home Tracks photo)[/caption]
By Lou Modestino
Eddie MacDonald almost won his fourth career K&N Pro Series East race in the Granite State 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Friday night securing second place in a spectacular last lap duel that had the fans on their feet. The 100 lap event had three and four wide racing in turn one on the “Magic Mile” that most would agree is nearly impossible to achieve.
“That was a crazy race over the second half of the race right to the last lap,” said the Rowley, Mass. veteran. “I think the fans saw an exciting race with the winner not decided until the last turn of the last lap. On the last restart my spotter Logger (Dave Ricker) said I was on the bottom of four wide going into turn one and they were three wide behind us. The incredible thing is, no one wrecked. We are very happy with the second place finish since it looked like we were headed for a fourth place finish.”
The Exit Realty/Grimm Construction Chevy qualified ninth on Thursday afternoon with Eddie Mac saying, “We were happy starting ninth because we just finished rebuilding the car with the finishing touches completed on Wednesday night. Last Thursday the bare chassis sat on the shop floor so everyone worked very hard to get the car done on time and I am very thankful for everyone’s fantastic effort. We also had Exit Realty come aboard for this race and I thank Derek Beatrice for helping us out. A lot of Exit Realty folks were there to support us and I think they all left happy.”
When the green flag waved Eddie Mac was able to maintain his position but soon developed a tight condition after lap ten saying, “The car was really good at first but then it got real tight and just shoved the nose when I got back on the throttle. I knew we had to made it to the halfway break for adjustments so I tried not to lose too many spots.” The #71 slipped back to 13th position by lap 25 then rode in the 11th position when the flag flew for the break on lap 50. Crew chief Rollie LaChance and the crew went to work making adjustments that allowed Eddie Mac to steadily move through the field and into fourth place for the thrilling final laps.
“Rollie and the guys made the car better for the second half run,” said MacDonald. “It was still tight but better than it was but I needed to stay on the bottom. I had a couple of restarts on the outside and lost some positions but I was able to restart seventh on the inside on lap 89 when things really got crazy.”
Three wide at NHMS is usually not a good idea but four wide surely spells disaster. With the crowd on its feet, both the four wide and the three wide pack made it through turn one with Eddie Mac saying, “I was glad to be on the bottom of that mess and I am still amazed we all made it through. That is the way this series is. Everyone runs hard every lap and no one wants to give anything. It is a dog fight right to the checkered flag.”
A red flag with five laps to go reset the field with Eddie Mac in fourth place poised for a battle with eventual winner Jesse Little for third place while Brandon Jones and Nick Drake fought for the win. With two to go, Eddie Mac made a run under Little in turn one but could not complete the pass saying, “The car was real tight and I knew I would slide up into him if I didn’t back off. We had a great battle but then going into turn three we both saw the leaders tangle and crash into the wall just ahead of us. I tried to get to the outside but just couldn’t get there. It was a great race, a lot of fun, and a great second place finish. Rob Grimm was there with his family so I am really happy for them. He and Carla and the rest of Grimm Nation have done so much for us. We will be heading back to Iowa for our next K&N race in a few weeks but we will enjoy this one for now.”
The Granite State 100 will air on Fox Sports 1 on July 20 at noon.
NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES EAST-Granite State 100 Results
At New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, N.H.
Lap length: 1.058 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (2) Jesse Little, Sherrills Ford, N.C., Chevrolet, 100 laps, 74.947 mph.
2. (9) Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass., Chevrolet, 100.
3. (30) Cale Conley, Vienna, W. Va., Chevrolet, 100.
4. (20) Jay Beasley, Las Vegas, Nev., Toyota, 100.
5. (3) Chad Finley, DeWitt, Mich., Ford, 100.
6. (26) Ronnie Bassett, Jr., Winston-Salem, NC, Toyota, 100.
7. (13) Austin Hill, Winston, Ga., Ford, 100.
8. (5) Gray Gaulding, Colonial Heights, Va., Chevrolet, 100.
9. (19) Brodie Kostecki, Perth, Australia, Toyota, 100.
10. (28) Kaz Grala, Westborough, Mass., Chevrolet, 100.
11. (11) Kyle Benjamin, Easley, S.C., Ford, 100.
12. (14) Matt Tifft, Hinckley, Ohio, Dodge, 100.
13. (22) Trey Hutchens, Lexington, NC, Chevrolet, 100.
14. (24) Kenzie Ruston, El Reno, Okla., Chevrolet, 100.
15. (8) Cameron Hayley, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Chevrolet, 100.
16. (25) David Garbo, Jr., Stonington, Conn., Toyota, 100.
17. (27) Anderson Bowen, Suwanee, Ga., Dodge, 100.
18. (31) Giles Thornton, Whitefish, Mont., Ford, 100.
19. (16) Jeremy Burns, Simpsonville, SC, Chevrolet, 100.
20. (29) John Salemi, Nashua, NH, Toyota, 100.
21. (7) Brandon Jones, Atlanta, Ga., Chevrolet, 100.
22. (1) Ben Rhodes, Louisville, Ky., Chevrolet, 100.
23. (23) Codie Rohrbaugh, Petersburg, W.Va., Toyota, 100.
24. (10) Nick Drake, Mooresville, N.C., Toyota, 99, accident.
25. (6) Scott Heckert, Ridgefield, Conn., Chevrolet, 99.
26. (18) Ryan Gifford, Winchester, Tenn., Toyota, 92, accident.
27. (21) Mackena Bell, Carson City, Nev., Toyota, 92, accident.
28. (12) Brennan Newberry, Bakersfield, Calif., Chevrolet, 85, accident.
29. (17) Brandon Gdovic, Yorktown, Va., Toyota, 43, accident.
30. (4) Sergio Pena, Winchester, VA, Toyota, 30, accident.
31. (15) Daniel Suarez, Monterrey, Mexico, Toyota, 18, accident.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 24 minutes 42 seconds
Margin of Victory: .313 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: B.Rhodes * (128.580 mph, 29.622 seconds)
Caution Flags: 7 for 22 laps.
Lead Changes: 6 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders: B. Rhodes 1-2; C. Finley 3-9; B. Rhodes 10-25; G. Gaulding 26-78; B. Jones 79-89; N. Drake 90-99; J. Little 100.
Standings: 1. B. Rhodes, 416; 2. G. Gaulding, 354; 3. C. Hayley, 351; 4. J. Little, 339; 5. B. Jones, 339; 6. A. Hill, 336; 7. R. Bassett,Jr., 320; 8. N. Drake, 318; 9. K. Ruston, 318; 10. K. Grala, 316.